(Originally published in the fall 2023 issue of The Avalanche Review) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Introduction: When I asked Colorado avalanche forecaster and researcher Jason Konigsberg to look over a short avalanche essay that involved God and Nietzsche, he said, Sure, but I don’t know much about those guys…) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bluebird. I’m near the top of Empire. A beautiful white canvas of avalanche terrain. My second Extended Column Test of the day without full propagation. Propagation Saw Tests are…arresting…with …

An impactful way to learn about avalanches is through stories, especially unsolved mysteries. Most avalanche accidents are tragic, but retelling stories memorializes those killed and can teach us, who intend to venture into avalanche terrain, valuable lessons. In May 1990, Bruce Tremper, then the Director of the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center, wrote the report on the Mark Miller Accident. The report lived in the 1989/90 UAC Annual Report until I pulled it out on the 35th anniversary of Miller's disappearance. I reworked Bruce's narrative a tiny bit and made a blog. Whether or not an …

Utah's 6th Annual Avalanche Awareness Week is Upon Us! Six years ago the Utah Legislature passed House Bill 380, recognizing the first week of December as Avalanche Awareness Week. Join the Utah Avalanche Center and the Division of Outdoor Recreation to celebrate the Sixth Annual Avalanche Awareness Week, from December 2 - December 8. The goal of this week is to ultimately save lives through activities that promote avalanche awareness, education, and safety. We have a variety of events to promote avalanche safety this week. See the list of events below to find one near …

Essential ISSW 2024 Papers for Avalanche Forecasters and Educators Though many of us could not travel to Norway for ISSW 2024, we could still watch virtually and pick the brains of those who did go to get some highlights. Below is a short list of fan favorites for forecasters and educators. We are happy to add others if you have any suggestions. 1. RISK MANAGEMENT TRENDS IN U.S. BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE ACCIDENTS: SKIERS AND SNOWBOARDERS ABSTRACT: Winter backcountry use in the United States has soared over the past decade while avalanche fatalities have remained …

The Utah Avalanche Center is thrilled to announce leadership changes in both the Forest Service and Nonprofit groups. Leadership Transition at the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Effective May 5, 2024, Paige Pagnucco replaces Mark Staples, who successfully led the team for 9 seasons. She has worked at the Nonprofit Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) for the past 19 years in numerous roles, most recently as Program Director, overseeing the avalanche awareness and education programs. In addition to her Program Director role, she forecasted for the Logan region, worked as a highway …

Remember Warren Miller’s famous quote, “If you don’t do it this year, you’ll be one year older when you do”? I like to think Warren meant to say, ‘If you don’t do it this spring, you’ll be one year older when you do.’ Spring is a coveted season in the backcountry, and typically, it’s the time of year to go after bigger objectives. As the days become longer and lingering weak layers trend dormant, the avalanche problems often become more manageable. In this perception of safety, however, we continue to see riders getting caught and carried in avalanches. In March 2024, …

Is it Really LOW Danger? I have a unique relationship with LOW avalanche danger, especially when LOW is actually MODERATE (but that’s a different story). But there are a few things I have learned over the years about our perception and response to this rare and interesting danger rating and I'd like to share some of those with you. But first let's back up a bit. One of our most fundamental risk management strategies - whether we are riding the backcountry, alpine climbing, paragliding, or kayaking - is to adjust our choices (what, how, when, where, with whom) …